"In April this year we are also bringing in the immigration skills charge for non-EEA skilled workers. If you want to recruit an Indian computer programmer on a four year contract on top of the existing visa charges and the resident labour market test there will be £1,000 per year," Goodwill told peers.

"So for a four-year contract that employer will need to pay a £4,000 immigration skills charge. That is something that currently applies to non-EU [workers] and it has been suggested to us that it could be applied to [those coming from the] EU."